Coming Home
by Fear Die Rothaarige
Summary: They made trips to Germany, were they wondered the streets of Munich drinking the countries famous brews. They flew to Paris, where they kissed for the first time under the Effle Tower. A weekend was spent in Slovenia white water rafting down the cleanest river either of them had ever seen. They packed a lifetime of memories into that summer.


_**Coming**_** Home  
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_Fear Die Rothaarige_

The first time he saw her, it was at the summer picnic for his fathers squadron. He was home from college, enjoying a lazy summer spent with his parents. He didn't wanna go to the event. Since his childhood he had been dragged to various military functions by his father. Being a higher up in the chain of command meant that his father had certain appearances to up keep.

So there he was, drinking a soda in the shade, when she flashed into sight. He thought she was a daughter of someone important at first, but after a few moments he knew that couldn't be true. She had the awkward air about her. The way she kinda stood off to the side, speaking to only a few people and no spouse in sight. She was new to this military world.

Pink locks that danced in the summer breeze. Jade green eyes that dashed from one person to the next, waiting her time before it would be acceptable to leave. A white summer dress that made her look all the more innocent than she already did, then a splash of red with her sandals. She was the last thing he expected to see at a place like this.

He grabbed another drink from the cooler under the overhang before making his way over to her. And as he went up to her and said hello, his eyes mesmerized by the gentle curve of her lip gloss smile, he completely forgot the words of advice his father had always told him and his brother, "Never fall in love with a military women."

And so began the summer between his Sophomore and Junior year. They spent so much time together that Sasuke's mother joked that she could barely remember his face. On Sakura's days off, they would hop into her jeep and go exploring. They lived in a foreign country with the world laid out before them. They made trips to Germany, were they wondered the streets of Munich drinking the countries famous brews. They flew to Paris, where they kissed for the first time under the Effle Tower. A weekend was spent in Slovenia white water rafting down the cleanest river either of them had ever seen.

They packed a lifetime of memories into that summer. When Sasuke had to leave for college, she saw him off at the terminal with his family. She held him close, despite being in uniform, whispering I love you over and over into his ear. They held each other until they made the finale call for his flight. He would always remember the way her eyes looked so sad between the glass as he walked away.

Skype was their best friend. Even with the nine hour time difference they made it work. They would be exhausted for either work or class, but neither cared. They were young and in love. When Sakura went somewhere wonderful, she would send him a postcard, saying she had found another place he would love. He couldn't wait to go to all of those places with her when he went back to see his parents. He had all of those postcards taped up this his wall with a picture of Sakura next to them.

He didn't come home for Thanksgiving like he had wanted too. Sakura and his parents told him that his finals were more important to study for than spending only a few days with them. He eventually had to stop arguing because he knew that they were right. He counted the days til he would be back for Christmas.

He surprised her at her work center. His father had pulled a few strings with her Supervisor and he was sitting at her desk when she got back from lunch. She screamed his name and hugged him, crushing the lilies in his hand. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the scent of watermelon that he had missed for so long.

They went to a few of the places from the postcards. She taught him out to ski in Switzerland. They trekked through the halls of Dracula's castle. The watched the sunset and rise from a secluded beach in Croatia. They spent New Years in London with brother and his girlfriend. When he saw how the lights reflected the glow from the fireworks and the childish delight on her face, he knew he would always love his women.

Then, fate had to change his plans. A Skype call where he could tell something was off from the very beginning. The way those words slipped from her mouth would forever be burned in his memory. "They're sending me to the desert, Sasuke."

He called his father, seeing what he could do to get her out of it. In the end, he said he could do nothing. This was a time of war and Sakura had signed up to serve and protect. She knew that one day she might have to lay down her life for the ones that she loved.

They got two weeks of summer before she left. There was a distance between them that they both felt. Sasuke pushed the distance aside, knowing that it would be the last time they would see each other for months (But prayed that it wouldn't be). They feed the birds in the San Marco Square in Venice. The night before she left, the spent it under the stars, holding each other close, not wanting their time together to end.

This time they weren't the only ones making a tearful goodbye in the terminal. The small space was full of the heartbroken wishing their loved ones safety, telling them to come back safe and sound to their waiting arms. Sasuke held Sakura harder than ever before, whispering in her ear to come back to him. As a tear escaped from her eye and landed on his neck, she whispered back, "I promise I'll be back." This time he was the one standing behind the glass, watching as she walked away from him.

If he was lucky, he would get a call from Sakura a few times a week. She was exhausted from work most days, and would almost fall asleep talking to him every time. He would softly tell her to go to bed and that he loved her. With her voice clouded with sleep, she would laugh the laugh he loved the most and say that she love him and would call him in a few days. When the line went dead, he would hold his phone in his hand and stare at it, wishing nothing more than to talk to her for hours on end.

One day, he was laying by the pool with his brother when their father walked out. Sasuke didn't pay him any attention at first. He just kept sliding through the all the pictures of Sakura that he had. He only looked up when his father called his name, with a voice full of an emotion he wasn't sure meant.

"Something's happened, Sasuke... Something's happened to Sakura."

She was coming back. The plane was circling overhead, waiting for runway clearance. There was a small gathering of people. Some there for Sakura, other's for the ones that would be landing with her. He felt his father grip his shoulder as the plan landed. They were standing in a hanger, waiting for the plane to stop in front of the open doors. The doors to the cargo hold opened and music played from somewhere. Then one by one, they came out. He fell to his knees and cried when he saw the casket draped in an American flag with black lettering the spelled out Sakura Haruno on the side.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **_

_**While, I am in the military, I have no lost anyone to war or anything of the sort.**_

_**This is a tribute to all of those who have laid down their lives for our freedom.**_


End file.
